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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

From Space to the Super Bowl

Members of the STS-129 shuttle mission presented a specially minted silver medallion to National Football League (NFL) officials on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The coin, which was flown in space during the November flight of Atlantis, will be used for the official coin toss prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010.

One member of Atlantis' crew, Leland Melvin, was drafted by the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1986. The crew also flew other NFL-related memorabilia, including jerseys and a football inscribed with the name of every member of the Hall of Fame.

The next shuttle mission, STS-130, is scheduled to launch on Super Bowl Sunday at 4:39 a.m. EST.

Credit: NASA/Marv Smith

From left: astronauts Bobby Satcher, Randy Bresnik, and Charlie Hobaugh; Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications/Exhibits for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Steve Perry, President/Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; astronauts Berry Wilmore, Michael Foreman and Leland Melvin.

space4u

Great presentation at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. Very nice to see fellow collectSPACE'rs Brad and Mark (both who drove to Ohio from Michigan.) Had a nice chat with fellow twitterers, @Astro_Flow and @Astro_Bones about the Space Tweep Society and how much fun twitter is for them and me! Will post some pics.

Here's a link to a local TV station's video of some of the event including a funny "space coin toss". Also see the Pro Football Hall of Fame's picture of the event.

Leon Ford

I sure hope the STS-130 crew will be pulling for the Saints on Sunday. After all, their External Tank was made in New Orleans!!!

Maybe I just missed it, but I don't think the fact that the coin was flown in space was mentioned before, during or after the coin toss.

Robert Pearlman

Based on other reports, it would appear that if any mention was made of the coin flying in space, it was limited to the stadium audience only.

In a way, it continues the story behind the space-flown flip coins, as this was the third time that NASA and the NFL attempted to have a space-flown coin used in the Super Bowl, and so perhaps it should have been expected that it would not proceed without any issue...

AstronautBrian

I did not hear any mention of the coin being flown in space before or after the toss by either the official or the tv color guys. I was kind of dissapointed about that.

space4u

Very disappointed that there was no mention on TV during pre-game as to the history of this coin. Boo on the NFL for not providing the large, general audience with that important NASA background information.

On a lighter note, there is a great photo that the Michoud workers did of a shuttle external tank with the Saints logo on it.

Robert Pearlman

Ironically, the NFL's own Super Bowl XLIV commercial was space-themed...